Supply Chain Quality Assurance

Posted

September 8, 2017

in

SCI News

The safety of the consumer is always important for any business, and when it comes to supply chain processes for industries such as healthcare, technology, and retail, which have become increasingly regulated, it’s become even more of a priority.

That’s why any good supply chain partner understands that in today’s marketplace their clients require additional quality assurance measures than just getting their products to the right place, at the right time. Customer service expectations, business objectives and regulatory requirements all contribute to more complex supply chain quality assurance requirements.

In recent years, various quality management standards have emerged to help address the quality assurance needs of many industry segments involving storage and distribution of food, natural health products, cosmetics, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals. Moreover, the quality management for these segments is vital for ensuring business continuity and regulatory compliance across all business areas, including information security, distribution, logistics, and transportation.

The complexity of the products, the processes required for transportation, and the technology available within top tier supply chain suppliers has transitioned the quality management focus from control to compliance assurance. Under the Food and Drug Act, Health Canada enforces regulatory compliance requirements. Regulations usually apply to the storage and handling of food, drugs, natural health products, cosmetics and medical devices. Having standardized procedures in place is one of the ways to ensure that the supply chain processes and controls meet regulatory and business requirements. In addition, Good Distribution Practice (GDP) helps ensure that products are consistently stored, transported and handled under their labeled product conditions and specifications. These GDP standards vary from country to country, which adds complexity to the supply chain for globally distributed products.

Management leadership of both the supply chain provider and the client has become the most critical factor in implementing quality standards in addition to regulatory and customer requirements. This is why it’s so important to partner with a trusted 3PL provider that can efficiently manage the supply chain, and at the same time can lead you in providing consumer safety through implementing effective quality assurance processes. Critical processes may include recall administration, product identification and traceability, inventory management, and many other aspects to ensure consumer safety and regulatory compliance.

Developing and standardizing these practices, along with increased awareness regarding counterfeit and compromised products, greatly reduces incidents pertaining to consumer safety due to poor or non-existent quality assurance processes. This ultimately leads to increased end consumer satisfaction and safety levels.

At SCI, we are committed to providing value to our supply chain clients through:

The quality of our services

The efficiencies of our processes

The innovation of new services

Our commitment to continuous improvement and refinement of our services

SCI’s quality assurance management system provides the structure to achieve compliance with any of today’s regulatory requirements and standards.

To learn more, visit the ASQ Canada Conference on September 26th, 2017 where SCI’s Quality Assurance Director, Dr. Chaitanya Baliga will be speaking about how business excellence can be achieved under growing regulatory requirements by Integrated Quality Management Systems.

For more information on how you can engage with SCI to improve your current quality assurance processes, complete our short sales form, and one of our experts will get in touch with details.

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As a 3PL partner that is trusted by clients in the retail, e-commerce, technology, and healthcare sectors, SCI provides end-to-end supply chain solutions that improve their clients’ business results and customer satisfaction.